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Hi Everyone,
Oh you lucky people, two Blogs in one day! We left Luang Phrabang and so began an arduous journey, a full days drive to Phonsavan (spell it as you like, I've found three versions in as many minutes) over poor roads which tested your travelling resolve to the absolute limits. We had a small mini van and had been joined by an Aussie called Dean, a nice guy who hailed from Melbourne and a French girl, Delphine from Marseilles. So 7 of us plus luggage were tossed all over the place and the experience was not great. We arrived at the bleak town of Phonsavan which has souless buildings and reminded me heavilly of Albania. It had that 'down at heel' look and feel about it. These were only first impressions but they are lasting ones. The Hotel was ' hollow' with few comforts to cushion the echo effect of the downstairs lobby area. There were simple tables with four chairs round them on the right, a room divider on the left displaying exploded and unexploded bombs and landmaines as well as mortars and tank busting shells. On the far wall was the shell of a 500lb bomb and some of its lethal contents being the infamous 'pineapple' anti-personel landmines. Ahead of us lay the stairs and a lower level kitchen and then the reception desk, the only colour in the place was white, broken only by the morbid colour of ordnance. It was quite depressing.
The main street is wide, wider than a dual carriageway and all the buildings have an air of re-conmstruction about them but constrained and are like concrete slabs. Unfortunately it was cold and bleak which really didn't help matters much. We did find ourselves somewhere warm and inviting, a little bistro premises about a couple of hundred meters up the road. Geographically we have moved a long way east and are now at quite an elevation. Consequently the temperature has plumetted and we are all wearing hats, socks, jumpers and scarves, it is like winter again. Just about every commercial building has some form of memorabilia to the war. This little Bistro has two large bombs mounted vertically outside the entrance as if standing guard over the doorway. Inside are a selection of monochrome photos taken during the process of war and afterwards when UXB's were found.
I was really keen to hear from Laos people about the effects of war on the community and their way of life. I just know it is going to be difficult, so I went into the M.A.G. area office (Mines Advisory Group whose HQ is in Manchester, England) and spoke with the local representative. I then watched a DVD documentary about the unexploded ordnance. The programme featured interviews with Americans who were involved with Laos during the 60's and 70's. The issues coverd were truely shocking and what these people had to say was very interesting and not apparently supportive of American Foriengn policy towards Laos and supporting any form of clear up operation. I understand that there must be an horrendous amount of issues involved when dealing with a Communist regime in a clear up plan but the people who are directly affected are still dying and being terribly injured even today. I will not get on my soap box but let me impart a small amount of details for you.
Most people now know that Laos had more bombs dropped on it than any other Country has ever had endured during any other war in hitory, but did you know that the US dropped the equivelant of half a tonne per head of populatiion? Half a tonne for every man, woman and child. How can that be right?
The war ended in 1973, and since then there have been many people killed or seriously maimed through UXB, but did you know that 29 people died and 61 were seriously injured (loss of limbs etc) last year, 2007. That is 34 years later! Can you even begin to imagine what it must be like to live day after day with the threat of being blown up by unexploded ordnance? I can't.
These people appear the way they do for a reason and it is not a good one. Having read what I have and seen what the outcome has been with my own eyes it has had a profound effect. This is the last I am going to say on the matter other than to cover the sights we are going to see over the coming days.
The following morning started cold but dry, I expected it to warm up quickly which it later did, but when we reached the first sight of 'the jars' it was nice - and cold and blowy and overcast! Not at all inviting. To cheer us up we had a guide called La and for all the good he was he could have come from La La Land not Laos. The Plain of Jars has signifcant historical importance for Laos a bit like one of the Stone Henge back home for us, if you get the idea, it is part of their ancient history. I think it is fair to say that our little group was reasonably intelligent (well alright, there is always one exception!) we had all read something about the Jars which are very large stone pots for want of a better description, some weighing up to two tonnes each. They are believed to burial chambers and have been examined by various archaeologists over the years but sadly no documentary history exists regarding their origins. So with that in mind it was just a little amusing and a bit worrying when La insisted in all seroiousness that they were for storing whiskey. Good one La please explain about the bones, jewellery, teeth and pieces of iron work? I expected a reply like, 'oh that was when someone fell in!' No, La was having non of it, all these ancient stone chambers were for whiskey, great! It got to the ppint where I actually thought that perhaps he was a Communist Agent working to monitor the movements of travellers and tourists. So after another frustrating time visiting the second site, there are three, I asked him who he worked for. He didn't reply, so I asked outright, 'La, are you a Communist assassin sent to get rid of backpackers if we ask too many questions?' No Reply! Yikes, may have hit a nerve there!! - Whoops!
We knew we had the best guide when we reached the third and final site, La promply got out his camera and started taking photos, when we asked whether he had seen this place before, he promply confided that he had never ever been here before in his life. Wonderful, we did laugh about it but the Tour company were to blame, they had put La in a position which was clearly very difficult for him. Never mind, moving on we were taken to a bombed out Buddha, a bombed out Stuppa (temple) a bombed out this, that and the other. We departed Phonsavan on the third day and en-route to Vang Vien we visited an old hospital which has been sited in a cave high above a village and which still had one of the old hospital beds in situ as a relice to its past. Now this was actually very interesting and a tangible memorial to the suffering that had gone on in the area. The drive to Vang Vien was another of those torturous routes with parts of the road missing due to landslides and water errosion and where it wasn't surfaced the dust rose up in clouds choking everything it touched. Arrival in Vang Vien was a relief, however, La had one last little surprise for us. Having asked where we wanted dropping off, I showed him the point on my map and having consulted with the driver, he nodded his head and we were driven down one of the roads off the main street. The driver stopped the vehicle got out and unloaded all of the luggage. We jumped out and as La and his mate drove off we realised that they had dropped us two streets away from where we wanted to be and where they had agreed they would leave us. Thanks La. Was that a little pair of shoulders I saw shaking up and down with laughter as they piulled away. I thought so!
See you soon,
Chris
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